Change behavior: Democratic patterns and urban isolation!

Change behavior: Democratic patterns and urban isolation!

Maintal, Deutschland - On June 22, 2025, the new published book "Where we choose: political patterns in Germany's neighborhoods" by Ansgar Hudde, sociologist at the University of Cologne, caused a sensation. The author explains four specific election patterns that significantly shape the political face of Germany. These patterns are not only interesting, but also show the dynamics and diversity in the election decisions of the citizens. According to [Zeit.de] (https://www.zeit.de/politik/2025-06/wahltbehabe-demography-demography-statistics differences), the first pattern reflects the nationwide trendy voting behavior, while the conservative pattern, the AfD-stray-linke pattern and the left-green selection pattern form the different currents within the electorate.

The green-left neighbors in the big cities are particularly striking. Is that a sign of social change? Clearly! These urban milieus feel is increasingly isolated by the national trend and fight against the shift of the zeitgeist to the right. Between 2021 and 2025, the left half of the party spectrum experienced a significant decline in votes, while the stable green-left-left-to-the-go indexes kept their stand. This clarifies that the mood in the country is complex and affected by many factors.

election behavior and social milieus

An interesting aspect in Huddes Book is the profound analysis of the social milieus and its influence on the election behavior. The microsociological approach, which emphasizes the role of the social environment and group affiliations, offers valuable insights. Social aspects such as socio -economic status, the denomination or the size of the place of residence play a crucial role here. People often seem to be caught in contradictory loyalities, which in turn can influence their political interest, such as [bpb.de] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/politis-ssystem/wahlen-in-deutschland/335665/theories-dahl behavior behavior.

But also the macrosociological approach, which deals with the development of party systems and stable alliances between different population groups, has its place in discourse. Here it becomes visible how historical conflicts, such as between the center and periphery or church and the state, can influence the election decisions of the people.

The future of election behavior

In the context of the preparations for elections 2025, there is an exciting voter distribution that takes into account the Union nationwide with 29%, the AfD with 21% and the SPD with 16%. This distribution raises questions about the political future of Germany and how the different currents will develop. A further look shows that the challenges of election research are diverse, as is described in Huddes work. An unifying theory of voting behavior is initially unsuccessful, since the different approaches offer different perspectives and explanations.